


Solace

by ImAFluffyPanda



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Loss, Drinking, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Friends to Lovers, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Protectiveness, Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:48:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28965615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImAFluffyPanda/pseuds/ImAFluffyPanda
Summary: In the summer of 1899, Lily Armitage becomes a victim of a stagecoach robbery. Just when she thinks her life is coming to a short end, Arthur Morgan intercepts. As their relationship blossoms, the difficult trials of a life on the run tests their bond to unimaginable extents. Will they grow together or will dangerous threats and ordeals crush them to dust?
Relationships: Arthur Morgan & Original Female Character(s), Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	Solace

####  **A quick note before you read!**

This chapter contains attempted sexual assault, as well as some other mature themes. Please read this story at your own discretion.

**New Hanover, 1899**

Never in her life did Lily expect to see a gun pointed at her head.

She had seen her father and brother wield one, but she didn’t think they enjoyed using it. Not like her assailant. For a moment she hoped would go unnoticed, her eyes darted to the gun lying a few feet away from her. It belonged to the stagecoach's driver, now dead in the dirt. 

“You really expect you’re gonna kill me, sweetheart?” The outlaw teased; his Irish accent was thick. He was looking down at her. Even behind his mask, Lily could tell there was a smug smile on his face. 

When the man heard no reply, he crouched before her, snake green eyes meeting hers. He holstered his gun and leaned in. At this distance, she could see strands of greasy blonde hair sticking to his temples. He reeked of blood and sweat. The potent whiskey on his breath and poor hygiene made her stomach twist and turn. 

“A lotta guts for a pretty thing like you.” He laughed. “What a shame if I were to spill them.”

The words sunk their teeth into her mind and grated against her ears. She curled her fists and looked straight at him.

“Don’t goddamn touch me. Ride away from here.”

“And leave you alone? Now, why would I do a thing like that? It’s not chivalrous to leave a young woman on her own.”

Lily took a shuddering breath. “I’ve already given you what I have.”

“Oh, really now?” He asked incredulously. 

The man grabbed her wrists and heaved her from the ground. Lily tried to wrench herself from his grasp, but his hold only tightened. She demanded that he let her go, but as if it were some kind of game, he laughed at her protests and shoved her to the ground.

“I believe there’s one more thing I wanna take!” He enthusiastically yelled, and he began to unbuckle his gun belt. Lily scrambled to run, but he grabbed at her skirts, then backhanded her across the face. The stinging made her eyes water. 

Though her vision was blurred by the tears, she fought. 

“Get off me!” She screamed, struggling underneath his weight. 

Before Lily could even process it, a sturdy boot forcefully swung into the side of her assailant, making him cry out in pain. He rolled off of her, and she was quick to back away.  


The voice that emanated from the new arrival shook her to her core.

_"You good-for-nothing O'Driscoll!"_

When her eyes finally readjusted, another man appeared in her vision. He looked entirely menacing-- broad-shouldered and tall, a figure that could easily intimidate men of lesser constitution. His face was covered by a black bandana, but unlike the eyes of her assailant, his eyes were full of rage, full of anger. It took her a moment to realize that his own revolver was pointed squarely at the forehead of the so-called O’Driscoll, the sunlight reflecting off the engraved barrel. 

“Back away from her!” He snarled.

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise?” The Irishman sarcastically remarked. “Ol’ Dutch’s boy… You lads always ruin my fun.” 

“Shut up.” 

The scowl on the O'Driscoll's face deepened, but quickly disappeared as he felt the full force of his pain settle in. He groaned as he stood up. 

“How long has it been since you had a woman?” He drawled. “Y’know, I could’ve let bygones be bygones and shared—” 

The man pulled down his revolver’s hammer. 

“Three seconds.” He warned, voice low and tone venomous. “If you don’t piss off, I’ll make goddamn sure I leave you to rot.”

The threat did nothing to abate the O’Driscoll’s airy attitude. He hooked his thumbs on the pockets of his black leather coat. 

“I run with Colm O’Driscoll, boy. You keep outta my affairs—" 

“One.”

“—In fact, you and good ol’ Dutch should _piss off_. Before we sweep the whole lot of ya, pathetic as you all are—” 

“Two.”

“—You're gonna get what's coming, Arth—” 

The single gunshot startled Lily. 

With a gaping hole in the middle of his forehead, the O’Driscoll crumpled to the ground. 

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her breath quickened as her head raced with the thoughts of what had just transpired and had yet to transpire still. 

She slowly stood from the ground. Her blue skirts stained with blood and dirt. Dark brown hair that was done in a French braid was now disheveled, pins loose and strands sticking to her neck and face. 

Lily scanned the scene around her, spotting the driver and her assailant lying face down in the dirt. The stagecoach was sitting on one side of the path; its glass windows completely shattered, and bullet holes had destroyed its frame.

She expected that she would be lying in the dirt soon too. One grim fate for another. 

But nothing ever came.

She found the man’s gaze fixed upon her. His gun holstered. In this light, it was hard to tell whether his eyes were blue or green. The fury they once held was now replaced with a sort of softness she couldn’t rightly explain. 

“Miss,” He greeted. “Did he…”

Lily shook her head, unsure if she was able to form any words.

“Is there a town I can take you to?” He asked.

“N-no.” 

“Any family?”

“No. I-I was heading to the hotel, up in Valentine.” She gestured to the O’Driscoll’s corpse. “He… he killed my driver.”

The man nodded. A tense silence fell between them before he spoke again.

“That slimy bastard…” She heard him mutter. He looked over to his horse, a tall dark bay thoroughbred, then back at her. 

“Why don’t I take you to town then? Valentine isn’t too far from here. Just a half a day’s ride.”

Lily tensed. Although this stranger was quick to save her from her ordeal, she couldn’t bring herself to trust him, the guns strapped to his hips speaking volumes. 

“Why are you doing this?” She asked quietly. 

He looked away, the rim of his hat blocking his eyes.

To her surprise, he simply answered, “I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Thank you for reading the first chapter of Solace. This is my first creative work in a _very, very_ long time, so there's bound to be some typos and a crap ton of grammatical issues. Nonetheless, I am glad you are here!
> 
> See you guys later!


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